Where do we go from here?  Season 8
by Pennelane
Summary: This is my version of Buffy's season 8.  I ignore the comics and Angel season 5 except where it suits me.  It's the first chapter here.   More to be added later.


Buffy Season 8CHAPTER 1: "Where do we go from here?"This "Season 8" of the show which Joss Whedon, etc. own and I do not; merely what I wanted to happen. I started reading the comic books and then moved away from the nearby comic store. Now I have missed so many that I want to write my own season 8.A little back-story: Buffy Comic-book Canon is ignored (Season 8 Series) due to lack of in-depth interest in the trajectory of the plot and of Season 5 of Angel is not ignored. If it was on TV, it's got the potential to be in my season 8. That being said, I think we're ready to find out what may have happened next, in my opinion. Angel sent Connor away to live a normal life, but only Fred, Gunn, and Wesley's memory have been altered. Willow still remembers Connor, and she had told Buffy about him..And now we begin./Chapter 1: "Where do we go from here?"/The battle with the First had ended well, all things considered. There were more survivors than not, and the First had suffered a devastating blow to it's forces. It might not be truly destroyed, but it was certainly 'scrunched' for the time the battle was over, the surviving heroes and newly activated Slayers had gone from the crater formerly known as Sunnydale to Good Samaritan Hospital in L.A., and from the hospital to the nearest safe house, which just so happened to be Angel's hotel; located on Wilshire Boulevard. Angel and his crew had explained to those that knew Cordelia and the new faces about her ascension and transformation to a Higher Being. With a heavy heart, Angel himself explained that the higher being who had possessed Cordy had turned on everyone and even tried to kill Willow with magic. Cordelia had given birth to this higher being, Jasmine, and was now in a coma. Jasmine had the potential to create world peace; at the expense of eating people whole. This was too much information for the Sunnydale crew to process on top of what had just happened, so Angel and co. skipped the details and saved the rest of their tale for a later date. They seemed to be leaving something out, but nobody knew what or why. Buffy knew something was up, but had no idea what to do. Buffy and Angel had had their inevitable teary, angst-filled reunion. Surprising Buffy in one of the most memorable and oddest moments of her life, Angel shared in her grief over Spike and Cordelia and they held each other for the rest of the night. He felt just as guilty of causing Spike's death as Buffy did, and told her exactly that. She seemed to believe him and that made her cry even worse. As she recounted some of the details of the battle, and her crushing grief over Spike's heroic death, Buffy cried herself to sleep in Angel's arms. Her grief had made her completely forget about the curious way Angel acted or the lack of Connor, Angel's son, who Buffy had been told all about by Willow. When she awoke, she found a note. Buffy and Angel had communicated with each other via letters for years, since Angel had first left Los Angeles. Phone calls were too awkward and impersonal, and face-to-face meetings were too much for either to handle. Letter writing, which Angel had always been fond of, became their medium. They were always able to be completely honest with each other in their letters, and knew that the other would not be judgmental or harsh. They did love each other, but could not be together. Pen pals, which seemed silly to say out loud, is how they functioned best at staying in contact with each other. When Buffy saw the note, the familiar handwriting, and the wax seal Angel preferred, she knew he had something real and important to tell her that he could not say to her in person. With a tired mind and a heavy heart, missing Spike and Angel all in one, she began to read. Buffy,Let me just say first that I will always love you. You are the strongest, most caring woman I have ever known. You protect so many and ask for nothing in return. You routinely sacrifice yourself and your happiness for the greater good. I wish there was some sort of reward for repeatedly saving the world, because you would have received it long ago. You are a hero, everyone's hero, my hero Buffy. I know now to never doubt you again. You are the One who saves us all. I know I brought that amulet to you and told you what it was for, but I never told you exactly who gave it to me and for what purpose. I didn't know it was a one-way deal or I would have never given it to Spike without warning. Knowing Spike, as we both did, he would have gone through with it anyway. He was always the bravest out of the two of us, your two vampire lovers. He stayed in Sunnydale all those years when I was unable to face you and deal with our relationship. He knew how strong you were, and had full confidence in you. I was so unsure of myself I didn't even consider you strength when I left. What a regret it is to me that I left you, the love of my life, because I doubted our strength. Who knew that a soul could be earned and not forced upon one such as us? It makes me rethink a lot of deep-rooted assumptions about my very nature. Spike was a better man without a soul than I was by a long shot. Maybe that's why his soul was truly part of who he was, and not just magicked back into his body. I have not been completely honest with you and I need to be frank. I wanted to say all of this in person, but I am needed... at the hospital where Cordelia is located, this morning, and could not wait for you to wake. Over the years, I grew quite fond of Cordelia. She never abandoned me or the good fight and was a constant friend. This can seem quite surprising when one remembers her from high school. Something changed in her when she came to Los Angeles. She got the Sight from the Powers that Be and became something amazing. Later, she took on aspects of being a demon when the Sight got to be too much for her human body. It was killing her and she sacrificed her humanity to maintain her gift. The Sight, along with her half-demonness, opened her to the Powers that Be. She became one of them. When she returned, the Power that Was, known as Jasmine here on earth, took advantage of Cordelia in that moment. She returned as Cordelia, having hijacked her body and mind. I lost Cordelia the day that she disappeared into the sky. She might be the same Cordy now but she might never wake up so it doesn't matter.I loved Cordelia. But.. we... never acted on it. She had her champion in the Groosalaag, a fighter from Lorne's home dimension called Pylea. He figured out what there was between Cordelia and myself before either of s realized what was going on. We were going to meet up, to discuss what we meant to each other. Possibly, to start something new. Before any of that, it was too late. She was possessed by Jasmine and had her eyes set on Connor. Connor... I'm guessing (and hoping) that Willow told you all about him. We are the only three, then, who know the truth. Unless others have been told, but no one else, central to the story, knows. Connor was special. Darla had brought back from death by Wolfram and Hart, and Drusilla changed her back into a vampire. Darla and I had one desperate night that turned into something nobody thought possible. Vampires cannot have children; our DNA is long dead. Or so we thought. She staked herself to give him life; her only truly selfless act was in death. He is already a man but only an infant's life has passed in this dimension since his birth. He should still be wearing diapers, but an enemy from Angelus' past took him to a hell dimension where he could be raised to hate me and all demons. It took him a long time to understand the difference between Angelus and myself. I regret that I sent him away to college in England. I made the choice that led to the manipulation of his memory, made him forget Jasmine and what happened with Cordlia. The pain and guilt was driving him insane. He would have killed people, he was a pure soul filled with grief and confusion, ready to break from reality. I might miss him, but sending him away for a while is for the best. He can go to college and get some normal experiences away from the Freak Show of my undead life. Jasmine needed Connor and his uniqueness as the child of vampires to set her free from the prison of Cordelia's human body. They were intimate with each other. Cordy carried her 'baby' and committed egregious acts in Jasmine's name. We had to kill her, she ate people in large groups. She promised world peace, but is it really worth the loss of so much innocent life? When we killed Jasmine, Wolfram and Hart congratulated us. They made us an offer we couldn't refuse. They gave us the chance to run their company. They want to corrupt us, but it is our ultimate goal to take them down from the inside. I am the new CEO of Wolfram and Hart. Yes, I know it's an evil law firm. Ever since they took an interest in me, it has been my goal to destroy them. Now, they offer me a chance to be on the inside, in exchange for ending world peace, of course. So Cordy is in the hospital, overseen by both mystical and medical doctors. She is in a coma and might never awake. When and if she does, it will be her inside and we have no idea if she will remember what has happened to her. Nobody was any clue if she will remember what Jasmine did when she had the reigns. I can only hope that she survives. I know she betrayed me, even if was not truly her, but I love Cordelia. She has grown to mean almost as much to me as you do. Enclosed in this envelope is a check. It is most of my life savings. Upon accepting the deal with W&H, they gave more money than I could ever need. I figured I could give you my nest egg, since then they wouldn't be able to hold a claim to whatever you're doing. I'd rather me have their dirty money than your girls. The hotel is paid off, and has been placed in your name. Since I'm moving to an apartment in the Wolfram and Hart building, you can use it as your L.A. base until you figure out what to do next. You are technically my sole heir, if anything were to ever happen to me. Sell the hotel if it's not what you're looking for, and use the money to find someplace else. I know that the Watcher's Council has been destroyed. This money, and one more thing, are my gifts to you to start something new. Maybe create the Slayer's council, since there are now many more than one. I also want you to keep in contact with Wesley. He is an invaluable resource, and a former Watcher. With so many new Slayers, you are going to need help from Wes and Giles more than ever. Wes can help you to train girls here. I want to be able to reach him if I need him, but he would be a greater resource to you so he's making helping you his priority. These girls will need all of you a great deal, and I know you can handle that and so much more. Fred and Gunn are going to come to the company with me. Wes will have an office there, but none of them have any obligation to Wolfram and Hart. I am the only one. I signed a contract, which keeps them all safe from Wolfram and Hart. Fred and Gunn will join me to watch my back, and make sure I don't get in too deep. I miss Spike. Funny, how I didn't miss him until he was dust under a town, but I do. He was your constant champion, something I only hoped to be. He sacrificed his life for you. He loved you, with and without a soul. Keep his memory alive in your heart, for he was a good man at the end. As jealous as I was, I knew that your happiness is all I ever wanted. A part of me wishes that it had been me, so you could still have Spike. I shouldn't think those thoughts, but you know how I like to don't feel afraid to keep in contact. I know that there is probably little hope for a future between us but my heart is always open to you Buffy. If you need me, I will make my best effort to be , I almost forgot. You need to get Dawn away from L.A. if you can. I know that she has ambitions to become a Watcher but she can go and do that far away from here. Wesley has done some research and discovered that Dawn is more powerful than she knows. It was not a problem before, because you remained in Sunnydale, where Wolfram and Hart dare not get in the way of the First (I'm assuming) but there are bad entities out there, this company included, that might take an interest in Dawn. Her ability to open doorways between dimensions is not just to the one Glory wanted to open. Dawn has the power to open any doorway, or create any doorway. All it requires is her desire to go somewhere in particular, and her presence. She has no idea, but she could travel through time and space if she put her mind to it. She would not need to be bled to do this. This has the potential to be wonderful and dangerous, as I am sure you realize. You may tell Dawn if and when you are ready but she should not go through life oblivious to the many layers of what being the Key means. Wesley and I have sworn an oath to each other to keep the secret. You might want to destroy this part of the letter later so I made sure to keep the Dawn stuff all on the same page. Hopefully, we can talk at length tonight. I have much that I need to tell you before we part ways.I will be back later tonight. I know you are leaving soon and we need to have a proper goodbye. I am acquiring the means to do so now. It's a surprise and I want you to know that this gift I will give to you tonight I give freely and without expectations. Meet me an hour before sunset in the garden outside. No matter where we are or whomever we're with, I love you Buffy. My feelings for you are eternal and it feels wonderful just to have them. You make me want to be a better man. AngelBuffy read the letter once more and sat down in lotus position. She closed her eyes and focused her mind. Following the steps she had practiced last year with Willow, she went into a trance. She opened her eyes in her mind and was in a field of grass, sun shining over head. Mentally, she called Willow who was on the roof, meditating. Since Willow's mind was currently wide open, figuratively speaking, she could converse with Buffy mentally as easy as if they were speaking aloud. Buffy closed her eyes. She concentrated on the image of Willow sitting across from her in the field. She imaged everything from the shine of her friend's red hair in the sunlight to the shirt she had seen Willow wearing through a window that morning. When she opened her eyes, there was Willow."Yeah Buffy, I'm in a trance, but I'm here. Are you trancing too?. What's up?""I sat down and channeled my mind like you told me. I guess it worked. Two-way communication is a go."Willow appeared standing before Buffy in the meditation field. She sat down on the grass and held hands with Buffy, mirroring her lotus position. They spoke silently with their minds. Buffy thought of the letter and briefly showed it to Willow with her mind. We need to plan...We need to protect should we go? England, or maybe that other hellmouth in Cleveland? Maybe both?Their thoughts blended together as they thought about the various aspects of Angel's letter, and the future that they could not avoid. Buffy, we need to find them. These girls, they might be strong, but without support and knowledge they're sitting ducks. If anyone else knew about slayers, and what had happened, these girls would have nothing to protect themselves with except their own , I agree. Angel seems to think we need to set up a school or something. An all-girls demon-fighting school for advanced adolescents? I wanna get Dawn far from LA before someone tries to do what Glory did. It will mean my end. I don't want to put her at risk or...Yourself?She needs me...We ALL need you Buffy. Buffy and Willow talked for a while in this state, but returned to consciousness moments after their trance had begun. They assembled the group in order to address what needed to be done. The major Scoobies convened in Angel's office. Willow had brought Xander, Giles, and Faith. Dawn was out buying weapons with Wesley and Kennedy, which Buffy thought was safe enough for the time being. Scary when weapons-shopping and demon-fighting are now considered a safe activity for my teenage sister. The converstation involved discussion of Angel's letter and their future. "Dawn can open portals. Any portal. Read this part of Angel's letter." She hid the more personal paragraphs by cleverly folding the page. "Bloody hell." Giles stated, sounding like Spike."I had thought that there might be more facets to the Key, but never dreamed that The Key was called such because it's..."Universal!"exclaimed Willow, interrupting in Chapter 2: "The Key"Disclaimer: Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy own all. 


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